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ANTI KILL-LAW FIGHT – HOW TO HELP, PART FIVE

The second reading in Parliament of the amendments to the Animal Welfare Act happens tomorrow, 20th November, 2013. We need to make a big effort to send letters to the ministers who will be in the session. See below for all details!

EDIT NOVEMBER 22ND: Activists are asking us to be careful with emails. “We need a new approach. We need a new strategy,” they say. It’s possible that angering the Ministers will backfire. I TRUST THIS ADVICE AS I KNOW THE MENTALITY OF THESE PEOPLE. SO FOR NOW PLEASE DO NOT SEND EMAILS OR FAXES TO BIH MINISTERS. PLEASE CONTINUE TO EMAIL EU MEPs, Embassies in Sarajevo and the EU Eurogroup/Intergroup, international welfare organisations! DETAILS ON THE ACTION TO TAKE PAGE.

And some bad news:

One man from Sarajevo, contacted one of the activists yesterday and sent her this photo. The activists went immediately to the area but could not find the dog, only bloodstains. It is believed the dog is pregnant. Activists will keep looking for her. This is not a first time dogs are killed at this place...

Regarding the proposed amendments to the law. someone from Bosnia-Herzegovina has put it very well: “But the main issue is how this law will (NOT) be implemented. Bosnia has very high level of coruption and this law will be used for money laundering mainly and animals will NOT be treated with respect NOR will they be “euthanized”, but rather murdered as it is happening in Romania. That is why we are fighting this fight, because those of us who have lived in Bosnia long enough, we know how things there work..(or it’s better to say don’t work).. Animals will be killed in number of inhumane way you can think of, and I guess we are their last line of defence..”

I have been given a new suggestion from one of the activists for letters to try and persuade the authorities to actually implement the Animal Welfare Act and not make changes to it. It’s a good suggestion. Can you spare a few minutes and send a letter as described below to the email addresses listed?

“The group who wants to change the law says they do it because tourists are afraid to come to Bosnia-Herzegovina because of stray dogs and because of this our economy suffers.

So, what about starting the opposite petition/letters by saying that tourists don’t want to come to BiH because they hate to come to a country which has bloody streets and bloody hands, which isn’t humane and doesn’t have humane people who have not learned anything from the previous wars.

Put many adjectives. This is the way for direct attack on economy: our government loves money…

Four types of letters could be sent:

1. One from a potential tourist who is afraid to visit a bloody country

2. Another letter from people from BiH but who do not live in it – saying they can’t imagine to come back into such a bloody country

3. Another letter from foreign workers who are in BiH because of their job -they would not come to BiH but because of their job they have to

4. Another letter from us who live in the country – we don’t want to live here in such a country but we cant leave from it because we don’t have anywhere to go.

The letter should be personal and consist of a lot of feelings about this huge problem, it should be sensitive and emotional.

In addition to sending to the relevant politicians the letters should be sent to the ministry of tourism and to BiH travel agencies.”

Please write your own letter. But here are two drafts you can use and personalise, if you fit into the ‘potential tourist’ category – NOTE THAT THE FIRST LETTER STATES ‘concerned American citizen’ PLEASE ALTER THIS TO FIT YOUR NATIONALITY BEFORE SENDING.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to you in hopes that you take what I have to say into consideration when voting regarding Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Animal Welfare Act amendments. Currently, not everyone is aware of the overwhelming situation in BiH concerning stray/street dogs and cats. However, this information is spreading – as I am proof. I have been traumatized by what I have read and learned. If someone told me of the brutal killings, these massacres, I would not have believed it until researching it myself. First I learned about Romania – of which no words can express my disdain. How could civilized people do such horrific acts? Where does it end? I have found myself as much involved as the people living amongst this devastating situation. How can any country that treats it’s defenseless inhabitants like vermin expect that anyone would want to run the risk of spending time there?

What could that possibly be like…seeing puppies watch their mother beaten to death, so innocently knowing this is what to become of them, passing numerous dogs on the street dead due to lethal injections of bleach or food poisoning – these are horrible sights that I would not want to expose myself or to those I love. From what I’ve read, the citizen’s of Bosnia Herzegovina are struggling from the results of this kind of behavior – poor economy, mental anguish, fear for their future, to name a few. With that said, Bosnia Herzegovina is not on my list of desirable places to visit. I could not financially support a county that disrespects life.

Please, for the sake of all life, do not make amendments to the current laws, but strengthen them and enforce them – for that is the only solution that will reduce and eventually end your over population. You have hundreds of caring civilians willing to help you, I urge you to take advantage of that, work in unity – for the strength of a nation is determined by it’s people. Closing your eyes to these challenges will not solve the problem.

As a concerned American citizen for all living beings, even as far away as America, the pleas of the Bosnia Herzegovinian people are deafening. They cry for justice for the helpless and the needy…be they human or animal – and I join them in their plight. This is not only a European problem, we too, have an overpopulation of stray animals. We’re not perfect but our shelter workers care deeply for our homeless pets, treat them with respect, and work hard to find them loving homes.

You may see me as only one person with these concerns, but I am not alone in my feelings. Please take heed in my words, for I speak for thousands of those that are aware and soon thousands more that will soon be.

Kind Regards,

—————

Dear Honourable Ministers,

I have always wanted to visit Bosnia-Herzegovina and have great compassion for your people’s suffering in the past wars. But unless the proposed amendments to the Animal Welfare Act are voted against, I will never, ever visit. I have been utterly shocked at the callous treatment of stray animals in your country and will campaign to ensure the world knows that your people, your government has not learned any compassion after the horrific wars you have suffered.

Please know that I am in touch with a number of people in BiH who have documented the conditions in your so-called ‘dog shelters’, and that if these amendments are to go through, the situation will only get worse. The BiH Animal Welfare Act is one of the best in the world, and you can be a guiding light for all countries by upholding and implementing it rather than chipping away at it and continuing to encourage the kind of atrocities that happen on a daily basis in the streets and fields of BiH.

We will mount a worldwide boycott of tourism in your country should these amendments be voted in. Please know that the power of social networking is enormous and we will make every effort to tell the world of what is really happening.

The ONLY long-term way to curb stray animal populations is through trap-neuter-return. Euthanisation in the shelters will do nothing, other than allow for continued illegal activities: inhumane killing, profiteering from public funds, selling of stolen dogs.

Please, for the sake of all life, do not make amendments to the current laws, but strengthen them and enforce them – for that is the only solution that will reduce and eventually end your over population. You have hundreds of caring civilians willing to help you, I urge you to take advantage of that, work in unity – for the strength of a nation is determined by it’s people. Closing your eyes to these challenges will not solve the problem.

Please take heed of my words, for I speak for thousands of those that are aware and soon thousands more that will soon be.

In the next post I will list some Tourist Agencies to send the letter to.

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As stated in other posts, the activists need our support with donations to help them in the next days to campaign. Even if the law goes through, there is much they can do: all shelters need to be closely monitored to try to ensure that any ‘euthanisation’ as required by these proposed amendments is humane and that all other aspects of the Animal Welfare Law are implemented. Any amount will help, no matter how small.

There is a YouCaring fundraiser especially for this:https://www.youcaring.com/kill-law Activists in BiH are doing their best to educate and collect signatures – they need our support!

DONATIONSFunds are needed not only to help individual rescues and to help us keep safe the rescued dogs we are sponsoring but also to continue our advocacy work in Bosnia, uncovering the truth about what is happening there.

On our sister site, Animal Welfare Advocates for Bosnia, you can set up a monthly donation via PayPal, or if you want to make a one-off donation, please go to your PayPal account (or set one up, it’s very easy) and send the money to: donations@awabosnia.org . Click on the image below to be taken to PayPal’s home page.

Or if you want to use the customised PayPal form, click the link below. However, a transaction fee and a percentage (2- 5.4%) will be deducted by PayPal for any contribution made.

If you want your contribution to go to a specific dog or cause, please make a note in the PayPal comment box. If you wish to contribute via bank transfer or have other difficulties or questions,please go here.

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This site is dedicated to Vučko. Read his story and don’t let him have suffered and died in vain. Please help the stray dogs and cats in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The situation there is utterly dire, Vučko is but one amongst many horrifically abused animals. Go here to find out how to help them. Money is needed for food, medicine and foster housing. Even just one dollar or one euro will help.